ENHANCED ADHERENCE COUNSELLING AND VIRAL LOAD SUPPRESSION AMONGST PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV (PLHIV) IN A GOVERNMENT HOSPITAL IN RIVERS STATE, NIGERIA.

Background: Antiretroviral therapy (ART) remains the primary treatment for Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, aiming to reduce viral replication and mortality, but this requires lifelong adherence. To achieve viral load suppression [VLS] (below 1000 copies/ml), the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends annual viral load measurements and enhanced adherence counseling (EAC).

Objectives: This study aims to determine the prevalence of VLS following EAC amongst the virally unsuppressed PLHIV at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital (RSUTH) and the factors influencing their virology outcomes.

IMPERATIVE OF SPIRITUALITY HISTORY IN CLINICAL PRACTICE, A PRIMARY CARE PERSPECTIVE; IN THE DEPARTMENT OF FAMILY MEDICINE, RIVERS STATE UNIVERSITY TEACHING HOSPITAL, PORT HARCOURT.

Cultural practices and spirituality militate against effective utilization of healthcare facilities in Sub-Saharan Africa, especially in primary care settings. Spirituality history in clinical practice will help the health professional understand patients' values, religious beliefs, cultural practices, and preferences. It gives insight into proper counseling, and appropriate treatment and serves as an adjuvant to necessary therapeutic approaches.

Antimicrobial Resistance and Phylogenetic Relatedness of Serovars in Indigenous Poultry and Their Drinking Water Sources in North Central Nigeria.

There is scant information on in indigenous poultry in Nigeria. We investigated the occurrence and characterized serovars in indigenous poultry and their drinking water sources to enhance the monitoring of the infection in poultry and to promote public health. We collected 1208 samples, poultry droppings (n = 1108), and water (n = 100) across 15 markets in North Central Nigeria.

C3 glomerulopathy in a patient with a history of post-infectious glomerulonephritis.

Post-infectious glomerulonephritis (PIGN) is an immune complex mediated glomerular injury occurring because of an infection, most commonly with group A beta-hemolytic streptococcus in children. C3 glomerulopathy (C3G) is a distinct clinicopathological entity occurring secondary to dysregulation of alternate complement pathway encompassing both C3 glomerulonephritis (C3GN) and dense deposit disease (DDD). While most patients with PIGN attain complete remission with normalized complement levels by 6-8 weeks after presentation, patients with C3G continue to have hypocomplementemia with high rates of progressive kidney disease.

Novel -Infecting Bacteriophages Isolated from Uganda That Target Human Clinical Isolates.

Background: The antimicrobial resistance catastrophe is a growing global health threat and predicted to be worse in developing countries. Phages for Global Health (PGH) is training scientists in these regions to isolate relevant therapeutic phages for pathogenic bacteria within their locality, and thus contributing to making phage technology universally available.

Materials And Methods: During the inaugural PGH workshop in East Africa, samples from Ugandan municipal sewage facilities were collected and two novel lytic phages were isolated and characterized.

Assessment of Healthcare-Seeking Behaviour and Self-Medication among Adult Patients with Gastrointestinal Symptoms at a Rural Clinic in the Niger Delta of Nigeria.

Background: Patients' behaviour in making decisions regarding their health is currently changing from a passive role to an active one in which they participate fully in the control of their health as well as take initiatives in self-care.

Objectives: This study evaluated health-seeking behaviour and practice of self-medication among patients with abdominal pain in a rural Primary Health Centre in the Niger Delta.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study among 400 patients that attended the Primary Health Centre in Oyorokoto, Rivers State, Nigeria.

Draft Genome Sequence of Salmonella enterica Serovar Enteritidis from Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria.

Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis causes the highest incidence of human salmonellosis infections. Here, we describe the whole-genome sequence and annotation of Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis strain 1145s, isolated in Nigeria. The strain has a genome of 4.

Complete Genome Sequence of Pseudomonas Phage Zikora.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a major pathogen in humans and other animals, frequently harboring mechanisms of resistance to commonly used antimicrobials. Here, we describe the isolation of Pseudomonas bacteriophage Zikora. The full 65,837-bp genome was annotated and demonstrates similarity to phages, making Zikora a new member of this genus of the family.

Multi-layered Spatial Transcriptomics Identify Secretory Factors Promoting Human Hematopoietic Stem Cell Development.

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) first emerge in the embryonic aorta-gonad-mesonephros (AGM) region. Studies of model organisms defined intersecting signaling pathways that converge to promote HSC emergence predominantly in the ventral domain of the dorsal aorta. Much less is known about mechanisms driving HSC development in humans.

Molecular characterization of environmental Cryptococcus neoformans VNII isolates in Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria.

Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii are encapsulated yeasts able to cause fatal neurological infections in both human and other mammals. Cryptococcosis is the most common fungal infection of the central nervous system and has a huge burden in sub-Saharan Africa and South East Asia. Bird excreta are considered an environmental reservoir for C.

Multilocus microsatellite analysis of European and African Candida glabrata isolates.

This study aimed to elucidate the genetic relatedness and epidemiology of 127 clinical and environmental Candida glabrata isolates from Europe and Africa using multilocus microsatellite analysis. Each isolate was first identified using phenotypic and molecular methods and subsequently, six unlinked microsatellite loci were analyzed using automated fluorescent genotyping. Genetic relationships were estimated using the minimum-spanning tree (MStree) method.

Isolation and molecular characterization of Candida africana from Jos, Nigeria.

During a survey of the prevalence of Candida spp. in Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria, two atypical C. albicans isolates were recovered.